The College Hotel

“A stylish boutique hotel and top-notch restaurant with a twist, perfectly placed for Amsterdam's best known art galleries”

This slick boutique hotel was designed in the vein of Dylans and Blakes London. But there's a twist. The College Hotel was founded as a hands-on training environment for the best students from the Amsterdam Hotel Management School. So you get a younger vibe, new trainees every 3 months and fresh-faced eagerness from the staff.

The hotel's guest rooms are set round a quad in a listed school building from 1895, but there's nothing institutional about the interior. In the lobby and corridors, soft lighting glances off red brick arches to atmospheric effect, while the couch-strewn bar attracts a trendy, cocktail-supping crowd. In the rooms, expensive fabrics and a minimalist colour scheme keep up the air of indulgence. There are spa treatments and massages for every temperament, while the fine restaurant (set in the old school gym) serves exciting 'New Dutch' cuisine.

A little extra

for i-escape guests

a complimentary welcome drink and The College Hotel pastry box

Highs

This is a spacious hotel oozing style; we revisited in 2012 and felt that the communal areas, in particular, had been decorated to stunning effect

The hotel's bar is one of the city's hot spots and the innovative restaurant is so popular that you will probably need a reservation for dinner

It's in a quiet, leafy neighbourhood just beyond the limits of the busy tourist zone, yet it's just a 5-minute walk to Amsterdam's museum quarter and the city's most exclusive shopping street, PC Hooftstraat

The hotel has a limited amount of off-street parking (reserve in advance) which is unusual for Amsterdam, plus there are bicycles and scooters to hire

Lows

It's run by students with professional supervision, but this combination still hasn't conquered the problems of very patchy service

Although all ages are welcome, the sophisticated ambiance and lack of child-oriented facilities make this more of an adults playground

The rooms aren't as plush and stylised as the communal areas, and some reports suggests they're too dark

Best time to go

“Spring is the best time to visit Amsterdam. The tulips are out, the days are often sunny and the summer crowds have not yet descended. In July and August it can get hot and humid, with mosquitoes breeding by the canals, though if you like the buzz of a crowded city then this is a good time to visit. Winter in Amsterdam can be bitter.”

Our top tips

“When dining in the restaurant we suggest you go for the 3-course option, as you get lots of surprise tasters making it more like a 7-course extravaganza!”

Rooms

All rooms at The College Hotel are furnished with muted grey-brown fabrics, crisp white bed linen on double or twin beds and smart furniture in black French polish. None of the rooms are exactly alike, although all have high ceilings, large, multi-paned windows and luxury marble bathrooms either with bathtubs or cascade showerheads the size of dinner plates. The stylish, dark tones of the rooms are offset by the bright, airy feel created by the large windows and high ceilings (though the attic rooms are more dark and cosy).

The in-room facilities include flatscreen TVs with a video-on-demand system, Illy coffee machines, WiFi, bathrobes and writing tables. All rooms have a sense of space, which makes a change from many of Amsterdam's small canalside hotel rooms.

There are 3 room types - the Deluxe Rooms and the Junior Suites are the largest and have sitting areas or window seats with views over the city. The Superior Rooms are smaller but retain the same stylish design.

Features include:

Air conditioning

Bathrobes

Central heating

Cots Available

Extra beds

Illy coffee maker

Minibar/fridge

Phone

Radio

Safe box

TV

WiFi

Eating

Set beneath the high-beamed ceiling of the old school gym, the hotel restaurant is light and airy, with whitewashed walls, comfortable armchairs upholstered in olive green velour, linen napery and Delft blue china. The open kitchen adds to the atmosphere. The chef and his students offer traditional Dutch cuisine with a modern twist. Dishes include warm smoked eel with radishes and apple syrup, Amsterdam cheese croquet, veal kidneys and liver with mustard and lentils, oxtail hotchpotch or baked chicory risotto. Desserts such as roasted apple with marzipan ice cream, treacle soufflé or miniature profiteroles are equally delicious. You pay according the number of courses (see rates). All this gourmet cooking is drawing the locals in droves so booking is strongly recommended.

The hotel has an inviting cocktail bar with colourful lavender leather barstools, deep red chairs and burnt orange walls. If you want to venture out in search of night life, Amsterdam's hotspots are within walking distance. The hotel staff are happy to make recommendations and reservations for restaurants and nightclubs.

Feel like holing up in your room? From the room service menu you can order such dishes as fish cakes; meat balls with mustard; egg salad with smoked salmon and capers; warm salted beef with horseradish and potato crisps; and bitter-almond macaroons with preserved apricots.

Features include:

Activities

The hotel is on the doorstep of Museumplein, which means easy access to Amsterdam's primary tourist attractions

Head to the Concertgebouw, which is said to have the best acoustics of any concert hall in the world

Explore the Rijksmuseum, home to a staggering collection of Golden Age art

Pay homage to the great artist who sold just 2 paintings in his lifetime at the Van Gogh Museum

Marvel at the diamond showrooms and international designer boutiques of Amsterdam's haute couture shopping street, P.C. Hoofstraat, which is just a stroll away

Take the all important canal tour. Start from the Rijksmuseum mooring

Linger in one of the city's many coffee shops and watch people stroll by

Activities on site or nearby include:

Boat trips

Cycling

Museums / galleries

Nightlife

Shopping / markets

Traditional cultures

Kids

All ages are welcome and children under 2 years stay free of charge in a baby cot. Those aged 2 to 12 stay free of charge in extra beds. There is a supplement for an extra bed for anyone aged over 12.

Best for:

Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

The Junior Suites have space for an extra bed and all rooms can accommodate a baby cot. Some rooms interconnect: 1 Junior Suite and 2 Superiors, or 1 Junior Suite and 2 Deluxe Rooms - enquire for details.

Children's meals:

Distances:

Our guests' ratings...

Based on 3 independent reviews from i-escape guests

9/10

Room

7/10

Food

9/10

Service

9/10

Value

8/10

Overall

My mother and I had a lovely stay at the College Hotel. Our main focus of our trip was visiting the museums so we were definitely in the best area for that. The staff were extremely helpful and attentive and the restaurant were particularly accommodating, finding us a table on a busy Saturday night with no reservation and with a giant baby buggy in tow! My only slight disappointment was that the hot breakfast could have been better considering the price.

8/10,
Natalie, United Kingdom, November 2017

Service was good. Rooms getting a bit shabby/ worn but very comfortable if a little dark. The first night we had issues with our room set up and with smell and noise coming from the street outside. However when we spoke to the hotel about it they were incredibly charming and arranged for us to be moved.

9/10,
Alla, United Kingdom, October 2017

All fine, with good service from enthusiastic young staff. However, it is very dark, both the public rooms and the bedrooms, as a result of low lighting and dark decor – bedroom especially. Breakfast v expensive. Recommended Indonesian restaurant nearby: Sama Sebo.